General Interest

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Presidential Transition Team Project: The Presidential Elections are over! Now is the time to prepare for the Obama Administration so that our key agricultural issues are considered and acted upon in the first term. SAC is taking the lead in putting together a briefing book with a set of recommendations and key policy […]

The following is the first in a series of posts about potential policy recommendations for the Obama Administration to act upon during its first year. These policy recommendation ideas are born out of SAC members’ extensive on-the-ground experience with what is and is not working in American agriculture and federal farm policy. In December SAC […]

With the elections now over, we’re turning our attention to recommendations for the new Administration. Over the next several weeks we’ll feature some of the ideas that are percolating within SAC’s membership about recommendations—part of SAC’s Presidential Transition Team Project. Before we kick that off, however, here’s a quick analysis of the impact of election […]

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Presidential Transition Team Project: The Presidential Elections are right around the corner! As people get ready to cast their votes, this is an important time to prepare for the next Administration so that our key agricultural issues are considered and acted upon in the first term. SAC is taking the lead in putting […]

Lisa Kivirist shares her personal first-time experience helping support new Farm Bill programs through providing input at the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) CSREES Public Meeting to Solicit Stakeholder Input in Washington DC on October 27, 2008. She and her family raise a diversified, organically-raised mix of fruits and vegetables on their Wisconsin […]

THIS WEEK Justice Department Files Anti-Trust Lawsuit against JBS: On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit under the Clayton Antitrust Act to block JBS — a Brazilian firm which is the world’s largest beef packer — from acquiring the National Beef Packing Company. Attorneys General from 13 states (CO, IA, KS, […]

THIS WEEK Sodsaver Letters Delivered to Prairie State Governors: The 2008 Farm Bill provides the opportunity for the Governors of five states with native prairie — IA, MN, MT, ND and SD — to opt into a Sodsaver provision. If the Governor opts into Sodsaver, grassland in the state without a prior cropping history will […]

THIS WEEK Meltdown Raising Stimulus Chances? On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) hinted she may call the House back into a “lame duck” session after the election after all. By Friday, Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) was even suggesting a possible return to consider the stimulus package prior to the November […]

Even as Congress tries to figure out how it will try to deal with the financial market bailout, extension of expiring tax breaks, emergency disaster relief, and other year-end measures as it comes to the close of this congressional session, there have been some breakthroughs on the agriculture legislative front leading us to issue this […]